Well, well, it's been a long time since I last posted here. The PC at home has fallen to the dark side. Hardware failure suffered it has, yesss...hmm.

Anyway, I was finally able to squeeze in some quality blog time while waiting for Lyn to get back. As of this writing, I'm in a seedy little net cafe in some far-flung corner in Recto. Lucky me, it seems that the staff here has enough taste to play some Incubus songs I haven't heard in ages. I forgot how depressing it is to walk along the streets of Manila. The last time I set foot in this area when I was still boarding at Jamir's place behind UST.

So, time for some updates I suppose. Running your own business does have its perks and downsides. At least it's easier to go home and you spend less on food since the house is pretty close to where our office is. Acting as the admin/Japanese teacher is quite exhausting I tell you. But I feel good knowing that my brain has come to life again after it eventually atrophied over a three year call center gig LOL. I'm still adjusting to life outside my comfort zone (sans DSL connection and sitting around all day), but it'll soon pass. Financial matters occupy my thoughts as well. It's different when you don't have a paycheck to look forward to every two weeks. Hopefully, we'll get more students and increase revenue soon. All in all, being directly responsible for your livelyhood builds character I guess.

Speaking of teaching, I have a lot of ground to recover since I've forgotten some of the basics of grammar. I wouldn't want to look like a fool in front of my students right? Hai, mo ichido benkyou shite! Fortunately, the kids I'm teaching haven't caught on and I'm still able to create the illusion that I know what I'm talking about - for now.

We also launched an exhibit last weekend to feature the work of our visual art students. It was a small and modest affair with good grub. It'll be open until the end of this week. Hey, one of my former co-workers dropped by the commercial center where our office is located at. He and his girlfriend just finished playing ragnarok (yechh) when I ran into them. What is it about that crappy game anyway? I love video games (I've been playing them since third grade), so when I say ragnarok sucks, you can consider that an educated opinion. It's annoying hearing the same repetitive sound effects when the shitty little sprite based characters start fighting their wussy little battles. Wha-bish! Wha-bish! Wha-bish! Yecchhhh. "Different strokes for different folks" is right on the mark in this case.

What else? Oh yeah, we caught Episode III a week and half ago. Okay, here's my very brief two cents: while the physical, tangible technical aspects of the moviemaking process may be a cause of endless debate for many fans, one has to appreciate the story, concept and spirit of the saga as a whole. Putting every scene, line of dialogue, or any subtle nuance under a microscope is not the point at all. I love the way story flowed from incredible potential, to falling from grace, and finally redemption - all in a period of 12 hours. Yes, the reality of shooting a movie is quite daunting and may get in the way of the simple, earnest desire to tell an otherwordly tale; but I think we have to look past some niggling points and realize the beauty of storytelling.

For instance, wouldn't you all agree that it's nice how (considering the whole framework of the Force) Anakin was indirectly responsible for bringing balance to the galaxy far, far away? His children were his and the Force's way to evening things out in the end. Also, It was satisfying to finally bear witness to the actual moment when Anakin was physically and morally transformed into one of the most famous villains in popular fiction. At last, the dark lord of Sith has arisen.

One hour to go until I go home. One hour left officially as a Customer Service Representative.

And so ends my three-and-a-half-year odyssey as a drone of the digital empire. Good times, bad times - you know the whole deal. I was remotely teary-eyed at the start of my shift, but now I'm just anxious. I want to think about it not as resigning from a high-paying (well higher than the average entry level kind) job, but as opening my doors for other opportunities.

Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? I gotta do something fast lest we go hungry. Well, I know I'll find something adequate to replace the financial vacuum I've just created.

I'm actually too lazy to sort out the people at work that I'd like to acknowledge. I might forget someone unintentionally and hurt his/her feelings, soooo here goes my universal shout-out to all of you at work:

My deepest thanks go out to all of you who've I've shared a moment with. It could have been a short, meaningful conversation during a smoke or during a lull in the phone queue. It could have been a good laugh we shared between ourselves, or a good IM chat we had amidst the humdrum routine of work. Whatever it was, thanks for sharing that shred of time of with me. That single moment in time we had will forever be etched into history. No one and nothing can ever take that away.

Thanks to all those that helped me out here in one way or another. Thanks for showing me the ropes when I was still a hapless newbie. Thanks for putting up with whatever foul-ups I might have committed. Thanks for being there when I needed you.

And my apologies to any toes I inadvertently stepped on while we were out there on the floor, earning our daily bread. I really am a nice guy if you got to know me better.

Somehow, somewhere I'm going to run into you guys again. I'm not the most touchy-feely person out there, but believe me when I say there must a purpose for having crossed paths with you all.

Besides, it's not like I'm going to vaporize into thin air, right? See you all on the other side :)

Had breakfast with Lyn and Dan (fed him nilaga with rice, he didn't like the breaded fish with tartar sauce, or maybe he just doesn't like the sauce)

Briefly checked email and other sites from the house (dial up is behaving ok now, must be the PLDT vibe prepaid card and the system restore I did last night to remove the spyware brought about by a downloaded patch for ragnarok)

Gave Dan a bath, put him to sleep

Took a nap while Dan was sleeping

Left Dan with the neighbors (Lyn's relatives)

Left the house in a frenzied rush (and late at that)

Arrived at work five minutes late

Rescheduled a long delayed mother's day dinner with my mom for Wednesday

Chatted with my friend (in the US) online and helped him track down his mom's friend that lives here (made a few calls to ask around)